No, It's Not Perfect
by ZERO-xxx
Summary: Steven and Cynthia realize the difficulties that they face as two of the reigning Champions of their own respective regions and how their own personal lives could get in the way of their relationship. Can they make this work regardless? [DarkSteelShipping]
1. Close

**No, It's Not Perfect**

_A short, DarkSteelShipping ficlet_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Close**

"How long has it been, Steven?"

The question caught the Hoenn Champion off-guard. He rounded his eyes as he stared back at her. She was perfectly silhouetted against the setting sun that just barely swept the surface of the calm ocean beside them. Angelic would not even come close to describing how the woman beside him looked. Because of this, it took him a while to respond, partly because he found himself lost in her light gray eyes and partly because he did not quite understand the question itself.

Steven gently squeezed her slim hand in his, making sure that the rings he wore did not dig into her hand so that they would cause discomfort to her. His lips turned up into a warm smile. "How long has what been?"

The wind blew, just slightly, but enough to tousle her golden blond locks across her face. She tried to sweep them away, but Steven beat her to the punch.

A coy chuckle passed by her lips. "Always the gentleman," she commented. She ended up giggling when she saw a soft blush spread across his face. "To clarify my previous question, I mean, how long has it been since we were in a relationship?"

Steven kept his hand against the side of her face, keeping her hair out of her face as he stared down at her. They had stopped walking along the beach and found themselves right beside the cliff that held up the Lilycove lighthouse.

The sun had finally disappeared beneath the ocean. It was dark in the area where they were and with how late the two champions were out, there was no one else there with them. It was only the two of them right now.

"I'd suppose it's been almost 3 years now that we've officially been dating," Steven answered, following it up with a slight tilt of his head. "Why the sudden question though, Cyn?"

Cynthia smiled up at him as she brought her hand up to cup his. His steel blue eyes seemed to reflect the light from the full moon that was out in all its brilliance and she felt her heart warm up at the gentle way he always looked at her. It was such a contrast from the look in his eyes when he was in the midst of a battle or when he was tending to his professional duties as a champion. It was a look she knew was only meant for her.

"Just curious," she dismissed. "It feels like it's been longer."

Steven made a little face. "Does time seem to drag on when you're with me?"

The blonde blinked at him before breaking out into a soft laughter. "I didn't mean it like that. You _know_ that I wish time would stand still when I'm with you." Cynthia saw his expression change to that of embarrassment and as he averted his gaze, she took the opportunity to place a light kiss on his cheek.

At this small action, he seemed to grow even more flustered. That part of him seemed to never change. He had the same reaction for when she kissed him the very first time as he was confessing to her and for every other kiss in-between. It was an aspect of him that Cynthia found downright adorable.

Steven babbled on incoherently. "I - I think that way of you too! The time we spend, I mean!" he managed to stammer out. His hand grew noticeably clammy, but Cynthia held on, giggling as she did so.

"I know you do," she whispered, smiling broadly at him. Her eyes fell slightly down to the soft sand that she was now digging her toes into. Their conversation took on a more somber mood. "It just feels like it's been longer than 3 years because we barely see each other."

Steven could sense the sadness that lined her usually confident voice and suddenly felt a pang of guilt course through his body. He looked to her, worriedly, as he switched their positions.

Cynthia curiously looked up at him as he gently seated her on a rock that was beside them. She was careful not to lean too far back for she did not want the rough texture of the cliff behind her to scratch her bare shoulders. Her eyes followed his face and she waited expectantly for what he was about to say as he knelt down in front of her.

For a while, the only sound that reached both their ears was the sound of the ocean waves crashing into the reef and rock formations that surrounded the Lilycove beach further out.

The blonde took this time to carefully study the subtle changes Steven had undergone during their time away from each other. It had been nearly six months since they had last seen each other and she noticed how his hair had gotten slightly longer. She could feel a new callous on his hand, one that she had not noticed the last time she held his hand like this. His forearms appeared to have gotten a bit more muscular as well and Cynthia could only attribute all of these small changes with how much time he spent digging for rare rocks in caves.

"Have you been digging more recently?" she asked him, smiling as she clasped both of her hands around his.

Steven looked up at her, his eyes analyzing her face and knowing that the smile she wore was not one out of happiness. "Cyn...I'm sorry I haven't been present as often as I would like to be for you."

She quickly shook her head. "Steven, please. That's not what -"

" - It is, isn't it?" His eyes were probing her, staring deeply into her own eyes and Cynthia found that it was getting harder to hide her true feelings. "I will explain that I have been busier ever since I took up the title of champion again, but that's still no excuse for making you feel neglected."

Cynthia swallowed a hard lump that started forming in her throat. She fought back the urge to cry like a heartbroken teenager, but a few tears ended up slipping from her eyes anyways. Almost immediately she felt him bring her in for a tight hug.

It was almost like clockwork with him. Whenever she felt upset about anything, he would always do his best to make her feel happy again.

Always.

This time was no exception and Cynthia felt sorry for bringing up her concerns, which seemed trivial now. Steven was such a gentleman and if she asked anyone, they would tell her that she was lucky to be the object of his affection and love. It felt silly to make him feel any sort of guilt in the first place for a matter that was out of both of their control.

"I- I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears. "It feels so silly, but I guess I'm just frustrated that we've been seeing each other less and less with each passing year." Cynthia felt like a little child, but then felt her heart warm when Steven did not treat her as such.

"Don't be," he responded as he pulled her away slightly just so that he could look at her eye to eye. "Because I've been feeling the same way, but I suppose I've been coping with it in the form of spending more time isolated in a cave." Steven laughed wryly, to which Cynthia responded with a laugh of her own.

"It seems like you're becoming a hermit, Mr. Stone," she said, poking light fun at the situation.

"I'm trying not to," he said with a small pout that he knew always tugged at Cynthia's heartstrings. When he saw her jaw clench, he knew that it worked and he took the opportunity to take advantage of the opening she created.

She audibly gasped when she felt his soft lips upon hers, but the shock quickly faded and gave way towards pleasure. It was rare for Steven to initiate a kiss. Despite being in a relationship for 3 years, Cynthia could tell he was still shy with intimacy and filled with uncertainty. He had told her it was because he had never been in a relationship previously and because he insisted that he never wanted her to feel like he was objectifying her.

The only thing Cynthia could do at the time when he admitted all this was thinking of how much of a gentleman he was. He respected her a great deal, as his partner, as a fellow champion, and as her as a person. She could never view that side of him negatively.

When he pulled away, the young woman expected him to do his usual routine of flashing her his signature charming smile and say one of his one-liners that would get her to laugh, but instead, he went in for another kiss. This time, a little more aggressive than the first.

She inhaled sharply in further surprise when he leaned in more, practically pressing her up against the cliff side. Cynthia felt no discomfort however and wrapped her arms around his neck, coaxing him to continue on. As innocent as the kiss was, her eyes soon shot open when she felt him part his lips just ever so slightly and she could feel the wet texture of his tongue run across her lips.

Blood rushed to her head and she made a soft, muffled noise against him, trying not to pass out from the sudden, bold, intimate gesture he initiated.

Steven quickly pulled away, his eyes wide. "C - Cynthia, I'm so sorry! I got caught up in the moment! I - If I made you feel uncomfortable -!"

She immediately clasped her hand over his mouth, preventing him from talking any further. Cynthia took a moment to recover, grateful that the cool ocean breeze was present to calm the red blush that engulfed her entire face no doubt. All the while, Steven remained quiet, not once making an effort to pry her hand off of his mouth. Once she got herself somewhat composed, she spoke.

"I liked it."

And that was all she needed to say for Steven's face to relax.

Cynthia took her hand off of his mouth and tried miserably to keep herself relaxed, like the disciplined Champion she was, but failed. "Wh- Where did all that come from?" she asked him, avoiding his feigned innocent gaze.

He tilted his head slightly and rest his arms and chin on her lap, peering up at her in a way that made Cynthia's heart throb. "Well, you said you liked it, so that's all that matters."

"Steven!" she reprimanded him sternly, to which he responded with a boyish laugh. "Answer my question, seriously."

The young man let the remnants of his laughter linger before he got to answering her. "I want you to know that I love you, just as much as the first day we started dating. Even if we may not see each other as often as other couples may do."

She widened her eyes in confusion because she expected an answer like this from him, but also not. "...That's terribly honest of you, Steven," she mumbled in embarrassment.

"As it should be," he remarked with that trademark charming smile Cynthia had been waiting for. He stood up and dusted off the sand that clung to his black dress pants. "I want things to be transparent between us. That's why…"

Cynthia saw that he held out his hand for her to take.

"...I really liked that you told me you felt the way you did about us. So don't feel bad about telling me." He helped her up and pulled her close to him. "Really," he reassured her before cupping her chin and tilting her head up.

She felt herself melt into another warm kiss. Her small hands went up to his chest to tightly clutch at the thin white dress shirt he wore. The kiss ended rather quickly - faster than what Cynthia wanted it to be at least.

"How about we head back -?" Steven found himself cut short by her pulling him down by the collar of his shirt. His lips collided with hers once more and he let out a purely instinctive groan when he felt her initiate an open-mouthed kiss. He had meant to exhale, or was it inhale? Apparently, he had now forgotten how to breathe and he knew that the Sinnoh champion would make a comment regarding the foreign sound he made when she deeply kissed him.

When the two finally parted, Cynthia found out that she had tangled her hands in his silvery-teal hair during the whole process and he had his hands on the bare of her back. They were both flushed after the experience, showing clear signs that they were inexperienced in the art of kissing and that they let their eagerness get the better of them.

She was sure that she looked just as equally disheveled as he did and she had no doubt that she looked absolutely appalling, but she wished she could engraved the look Steven had on his face as they basked in the aftermath of their brief make-out session.

His slightly reddened, bruised lips were slightly parted as his chest heaved up and down in an attempt to stabilize his breathing. His soft teal eyes were half-lidded and appeared clouded with desire. The heavy blush apparent on his cheeks was the icing on the cake for Cynthia. She never thought she could ever get the normally composed, level-headed man to exhibit such a desirable expression so openly on his face.

The same could be said for Steven, who made it very obvious that his eyes were roaming all over her after the kiss. He could feel the softness of her skin underneath his fingertips as he kept his hands on her back before he quickly realized what had happened.

"I - uhm - !" he stammered unintelligently as he took a step back. "Y - You must be cold with that light blouse on, right? I should've been more perceptive. Oh and I pressed you against that rough cliff side a while ago too...I'm sorry -"

He blabbered on and on, and Cynthia found his shy embarrassment downright adorable yet again. She paid no mind to what he was talking about and simply grabbed his hand. She interlaced her fingers together with his and she smiled up at him. "Shall we get going? The tide seems to be coming up."

"Oh! R- Right!" Steven exclaimed as he cut off his own rambling.

Cynthia broke out into a fit of giggles, which caused the Hoenn champion to blush a wild red. "You never cease to amaze me, Steven," she commented, squeezing his hand tightly. "Just when I think I know you, you show me sides of you that I've never seen before."

"You can see more if you want to," he commented, which caused Cynthia to whip her head around to look at him.

She blushed at the initial, perverted thought that crossed her mind, but found herself blushing harder when he clarified what he meant.

Steven turned to her, just barely tilting his head to face her, and smiled endearingly. "I told you that I want to show you how much I'm still in love with you. That means…" He stopped and she followed suit.

Cynthia saw him setting her up for another kiss and she felt herself trembling in anticipation as she felt him tilt her chin up once more. Prematurely, she closed her eyes and waited, but found herself thoroughly disappointed when he ended up kissing her forehead instead of her lips. Both her eyes and mouth flew open as he pulled away, aghast at the teasing grin he wore on his face.

"S - Steven!" she exclaimed loudly. Her fists were clenched at her sides as she grew even more irate when he broke out into full-blown laughter. She watched him laugh and even though she knew that he was laughing on her account, she found herself eventually smiling as well.

This was another side of him that she rarely saw, when he let his pure emotions take over.

Perhaps everything that happened tonight between them was why she thought they endured and remained together, regardless of the difficulties in maintaining a long-distance relationship as two busy adults.

It was never a dull moment when she was with him and she knew that even though she had her flight back to Sinnoh tomorrow, the two of them would be alright.

* * *

**A/N **It's been waayyyy too long since I've actually written something. Apologies if it's a bit rough, I feel like I'm a bit rusty, but I figured I should try to post something since I want to get back to writing fanfics.

So this is just gonna be around 4 chapters (maybe 5). I do want to write a full, multi-chaptered fic for DarkSteelshipping since I love both Steven and Cynthia greatly as characters, so look forward to one from me real soon!

And finally, I'm actually uploading and updating this story first on AO3 before updating on here, so if you'd like faster updates, please check out my AO3! I'm there under the same penname.

-ZERO


	2. Silence

**No, It's Not Perfect**

**Chapter 2 - Silence**

* * *

It had been almost three months since she had last seen him and it was almost a week now since she had last heard from him.

_Riiing. Riiiing. Riiing. Beep. Please leave a message at the tone - _

Cynthia could not help, but let out an exasperated sigh at the fourth time she had to listen to that default voicemail tone. "The least he could do is set up a personal message," she grumbled as she closed her pokenav. "_Then I could at least hear his voice."_

She set down the small device on the corner of her work desk and stood up from her cushy leather seat. Her gaze fell back down to the research notes pertaining to the new mythological phenomena she was studying and she sat back down, figuring that she should try and distract herself from her boyfriend by doing what she loved best.

However, after a few seconds of trying to delve deeper into her notes, she stood back up and decided to go for a quick walk around the Sinnoh League headquarters. A breath of fresh air could be all that she needed. She admitted to herself that it _was_ rather stuffy inside her cluttered office.

Upon walking outside, Cynthia stretched herself out, reaching her long arms up over her head. She inhaled deeply and opened her steel gray eyes as she exhaled. The scenery outside the League headquarters was awe-inspiring no matter how many times she took it in.

She decided that this would be a good time to let her pokemon team also take a nice relaxing afternoon off.

"Come on out everyone!" she shouted as she threw up all six pokeballs into the air.

Her entire team materialized before her. They were all a beautiful group, albeit a bit of an odd team, but Cynthia prided herself in training a wide variety of pokemon instead of a select type.

They all looked to her in curiosity, wondering why they were all taken out at the same time.

Cynthia smiled at them and opened her arms up graciously. "You're free to spend the entire afternoon out here! I figured you guys could use a little break from all that battling we did the past few days."

Her pokemon appeared to be in agreement with her as they mewled and grunted at her and at each other. They all happily went off to their favorite spots soon after, some of her pokemon like Lucario choosing to engage in quiet meditation while others like her spiritomb and togekiss engaging in rambunctious play.

Content at seeing her pokemon taking the time to enjoy themselves, Cynthia also took the time to be alone with her thoughts.

The roar of the waterfall that ran down the cliffside provided the perfect ambient background noise for the task. Cynthia found it relaxing and moved closer to the body of water. She ended up standing right next to the majestic cliff that overlooked the vast cavernous network of Victory Road and closed her eyes, letting the light mist produced by the waterfall to fall upon her face.

Taking in the peaceful atmosphere helped her ease her troubled mind slightly, but her eyes soon reopened and exhibited a solemn expression.

This definitely was not the first time they had been away from each other for such a long period of time. They have had longer, but why was it so much more difficult this time around?

Cynthia let out a frustrated sigh at herself. She knew she was being pathetic and overthinking things at this point, but -

"Damn it," she muttered as she held herself. "I miss him so much."

She found herself blushing at her own self-declaration and conceded to fall to the ground in a slump. It was not long before she was joined by Garchomp, who had quietly walked over to her.

"Oh, Garchomp," she acknowledged the dark blue dragon pokemon. She cast her eyes away again and immediately the astute garchomp took notice at its trainer's odd behavior.

It affectionately nuzzled her on the cheek, to which Cynthia responded initially in surprise, but eventually returned by placing a gentle hand on the dragon's head.

"Sorry, girl," she muttered. "I'm trying," was all she said to her long-time friend. Garchomp was her very first friend and pokemon to join her team. She even remembered exactly how and when Garchomp entered her life. So it did not surprise her that the dragon-type pokemon knew exactly what her moods were.

It growled softly, as if it wanted to carry on a full conversation with its trainer.

Cynthia reciprocated, letting out a desolate sigh before letting her hand drop from its head. "Do you think it's strange of me to feel this way about him? I'm worried I'm overthinking this, but we haven't spoken to each other in almost a week. I understand we're both busy, but…" She groaned as she buried her face into her arms. Her forehead pressed up against her knees almost painfully.

Garchomp pensively looked down at its trainer and took a seat beside her. It growled softly again, inquisitively.

"I want to see him, but I have my own duties here as champion and I'm sure he does as well," she answered. "I guess I'm just upset that I'm acting like an infatuated teenager and throwing this tantrum over nothing. Is it selfish of me, Garchomp?"

When the dragon-type pokemon shook its head vigorously, Cynthia could not help, but let out a soft laugh. She brought her hand up to pet it on the head again affectionately.

"Thank you Garchomp...it's always nice talking to you like this. You always seem to know what to say."

It trilled happily as it leaned into Cynthia's hand.

She laughed in response, brushing away her blond bangs only to have them fall over her right eye again. Her smile, however, quickly vanished as she was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread regarding Steven.

There really was no reason for him to not answer her calls. Even when he was busy or out in one of the most isolated of caves, he would always make an effort to call her back, but this time the silence spoke for itself.

Cynthia kept Garchomp close to her, its physical presence beside her bringing her a small bit of comfort. She sighed softly and looked out towards the distance. Her gray eyes lowered slightly in deep thought as she asked quietly, "are you keeping something from me, Steven?"

* * *

"And the winner is ...the reigning Champion of Hoenn, keeping his title, Steven Stone!"

He stood confidently, allowing the media to get their best camera angle on him before he walked forward. First he went to his partner, Metagross, who stood unmoving from its position after defeating the opponent's pokemon.

"You've done well, Metagross," he praised it as he returned the large steel-type pokemon back into its pokeball.

It was, without a doubt, a tough battle. Steven admitted to himself that he had made mistakes here and there throughout the battle that cost him his entire team except Metagross. For that, he cursed at himself inwardly. They were mistakes that were almost unbecoming of him.

Trying not to ponder upon his shortcomings any further, Steven then turned his attention towards the opponent, a young girl who was now consoling and tending to her injured lapras. He walked over to her and offered up his hand along with a gracious smile.

The young girl sniffled, quickly wiping away some loose tears that formed in the corners of her eyes, and took his hand. The crowd cheered as the two shared a mutual handshake.

"What a display of true sportsmanship from both Steven and the challenger!" the announcer exclaimed joyously.

"You and your pokemon have fought well," Steven commented towards the girl. "I can definitely sense the strong bond you share with them."

She sniffled again, but nodded in agreement. "They tried their best."

"As did you," he reassured, parting his lips slightly to reveal the pearly white tips of his teeth as he grinned charmingly. "I look forward to a rematch from you soon."

Gaining confidence from his words, the female trainer nodded with a new fire alit in her eyes. "I'll give it my all!"

Steven chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

The two parted ways and Steven exited the large stadium through one of the large entrances. He gave a few waves and smiles here and there to his fans who were cheering , some desperately trying to get his attention from the stands.

Flashing a handsome smile to a group of girls who were excitedly screeching at him, he watched in amusement as they began fanning themselves with their hands at his elegant gesture. However, as soon as he was out of the crowd's view, his smile dropped and a look of fatigue overtook his charismatic features.

Grateful that he was always given a private dressing room at the championship stadium, he went inside and quietly closed the door behind him. He let out an audible sigh as he leaned back against the closed door. His hands immediately went to his red cravat and worked on loosening the somewhat constricting article of clothing. He thought that maybe he tied it a little too tightly around his neck this morning and that was why he had a slight headache.

His blazer was the next to go and he carelessly tossed it over to the nearby couch. As he worked on the metal buttons on his weskit, one of his pokeballs activated without warning and he found himself in the room with his Metagross. Thankfully the dressing room was large enough to accommodate the hulking steel pokemon.

"Metagross," he acknowledged it tiredly. "What are you doin, buddy?"

It gave a low rumble as it looked back at Steven with its piercing red eyes. The two of them being together for so long, Steven knew now exactly why Metagross decided to come out from its pokeball.

It was worried for its trainer. Their bond was undoubtedly close. Afterall, Steven had raised it ever since it was a small beldum.

The teal haired young man smiled fondly at his partner and sat down on the couch. He reached over the backrest of the couch to gently touch its cool steel arm. "I'll be fine. Just a slight headache."

Metagross as a pokemon itself are some of the smartest minds out there in existence, but Steven was grateful that his metagross was highly empathetic too. Otherwise, he probably would not even be having this conversation with it.

It grumbled lowly again, lightly stomping its feet as if it were arguing against him.

"No, I swear," Steven laughed it off. "But... perhaps I did overwork myself a bit recently."

This past week had been hectic for him. He was still readjusting to his duties as champion ever since reclaiming the title from Wallace a few months ago. On top of that, this week, his father insisted that he sit through some board meetings regarding the new tech that was being developed at Devon.

"It would be helpful to get some insight from a master pokemon trainer such as yourself, son. The tech we're investing in is regarding behavior and dream insight in pokemon and I think -" he could still remember what his father said to him in order to coax him to sit through three straight hours of business talk.

Steven was more than happy to help out his father and he knew that the corporation would be his responsibility someday, but all of it was tiring him out.

Metagross took the liberty of levitating a cold bottle of water out of the mini-fridge in the dressing room using its Telekinesis. Silently, it offered it to Steven, who took it with an appreciative smile on his face.

"Thank you, buddy. Although, I suppose you can't brew some coffee instead?"

It bellowed aggressively, which promptly caused Steven to laugh.

"Sorry, I'm just joking. I know caffeine probably isn't the best for me right now." It was all that he was drinking last night and even the night before as he was practically forced to look over documents, both scientific and legal, pertaining to the new invention Devon Corporation was about to produce. Not to mention on top of that, he had no opportunities to take a nap during the day since his mornings were booked with board meetings and his afternoons were booked with possible challengers eager to take his title as Hoenn's champion.

He opened up the water bottle and took a careful sip, before letting his expression fall slightly. Steven let his eyes wander over to his discarded blazer. He remained unmoving for a while, as if he were in deep contemplation. It was not until his metagross let out a low groan that he snapped back to reality.

Steven looked to his partner and immediately knew what it was trying to communicate to him. His facial expression softened and he broke into a half-hearted smile. "I know I should call her...it's been a week since we've spoken to each other."

Metagross stared at him inquisitively, its glowing red eyes seemingly piercing right through him.

The young man reached towards his blazer and took out his pokenav that was in one of the pockets. He flipped it open and parted his lips briefly, as if he were about to act upon an impulse, before he relaxed with a scoff. "What's wrong with me?" he asked himself softly as he closed the pokenav.

Steven looked towards Metagross and gently swirled the water around in the bottle he was holding with one hand, idly. His soft teal eyes reflected that of apprehension and the large steel pokemon picked up on it immediately. It moved slightly closer to its trainer, trying to convey its feelings of wanting to comfort him.

"I'm sorry," Steven responded by placing his hand gently on Metagross' arm with a heavy sigh. "I know I'm worrying you and I'm sure the others are worried about me too, right?"

Metagross groaned lowly again.

He chuckled at his pokemon's response. "I know…I should call her," he repeated. Steven set the water bottle off to the side and reopened his pokenav. It had been 10 minutes since the match ended and he was sure there were still crowds that needed to file out from the stadium. Normally, he would not mind going out to greet some of his fans and converse with the spectators. He loved especially being able to talk to budding new pokemon trainers who approached him with wide-eyed wonder.

The mentoring spirit he carried inside of him was one of the main reasons why he chose to take up the position of champion again, but simply put, he was tired.

Even as he sat there on the couch navigating through his device trying to dial Cynthia, he felt the growing weight on his eyelids becoming too much to resist. His head bobbed and he nearly lost his grip on his pokenav.

"Oh," he gasped when his pokenav actually did slip out of his hand. Luckily, before it hit the floor, Metagross managed to catch it with its Telekinesis. "S - Sorry," he apologized to it as he found it more and more difficult to keep his conscious. "I'm all over the place today, aren't I Metagross?"

The large steel-type pokemon stood unmoving, keeping its eyes on the back of Steven's head. It waited a little bit, expecting him to call Cynthia and start talking, but the more it waited, the longer the silence became. Curious, it ended up walking around the couch, only to find that its trainer was fast asleep, even in an upright, seated position.

Steven's head drooped, creating an uncomfortable strain on his neck, but Metagross quickly fixed him so that he was lying against the armrest with his legs propped up on the couch properly. It used its Telekinesis again so that it could levitate Steven's blazer over so that it covered up the upper half of his body as he slept.

Metagross stared at its partner quietly. It was well-aware of Steven's bond and relationship with Cynthia, and it did feel a slight guilt knowing that the longer that Steven put off calling the young woman back, the worse the situation could become. However, Metagross knew that the first and only thing its trainer needed right now was rest.

That was why it stood by quietly, protectively watching over Steven as his chest rose and fell in accordance to his light breathing.

* * *

They finally talk over the phone after another week had passed.

It starts off with a rather shy "hello" from both sides, followed by an awkward pause. It never used to be this awkward, so why was this time so different?

Cynthia began, but was promptly cut off by Steven's fumbling apology.

"Have you been well - ?"

" - I'm sorry - "

They both apologize to each other for talking over one another, but it was finally Steven who took the initiative.

"Listen, Cynthia."

Judging by how low his voice got and how he was not using her usual nickname "Cyn," she could tell he was being serious.

She kept her jaw clenched, honestly expecting the worst.

"I wanted to apologize for going dark on you for almost two weeks," he said slowly, perhaps a bit too slow for Cynthia's comfort. "I...wasn't really in the right state of mind."

Her eyebrows furrowed at the admittance. She desperately wished they could be video chatting instead of simply over the phone, just so that she could see his face as he was saying all of this. Was he sad? Angry? Upset? She could not tell just from his voice and words alone. She needed to see all of him.

"I -I see," she stuttered, immediately regretting it afterwards. Cynthia inhaled deeply to try and compose herself. Her emotions were threatening to spill out and a part of her wanted to demand answers from him. A part of her remained selfish to the point where she was actually upset at him for not returning her calls until now. Despite all this, she did her best to keep it from showing in her voice. "Are you okay now?" she asked him, genuinely concerned for his well-being.

There was a long pause on his end.

She waited with a held breath.

"...Yeah," he finally answered, followed by an uncharacteristic empty chuckle.

Cynthia was not convinced. The corners of her lips turned downward as she leaned into her pokenav further. There was another awkward silence between them and she did her best to remedy it. "Don't feel sorry, Steven. Please. I'm...just glad to hear that you're doing better." She stopped her sentence as soon as she heard her own voice trembling.

However, it was not fast enough to go undetected by her boyfriend.

"Cynthia…you know you can tell me if you're upset. Especially over something I've done."

She shook her head, suddenly aware of how much her eyes were prickling. "N - No, it's fine. Really. E - Everything's...fi -"

As soon as the first teardrop fell, she involuntarily sniffled and that was when she knew he could not hide it from him anymore. There was no doubt that he heard the way her voice was cracking and the way she desperately tried to keep her tears from falling. He would have to be a complete fool to not grasp the gravity of the situation.

The fact that Steven felt powerless in this situation ate at his conscious. He could hear her crying over the phone and his free hand balled into a fist around the pen he was fiddling with. He slapped it down onto his work desk, a little harder than he wanted to, and ran his hand through his silvery teal hair.

Steven knew exactly why she was crying. He had been unfair to her. He had been keeping things from her - things about himself that he was honestly too ashamed to admit outside of his own conscious. These past two weeks when she had been trying to reach out to him, all he did was retreat back into caves and spent his time in solitude digging for rocks.

It was pathetic of him and what was even more pathetic was that he had a hard time admitting to her of all people. The one person in his life that he had chosen to form a special bond with and he was choosing to close himself off to her.

That was not fair.

Guilt began creating an uncomfortable vacuum at the base of his throat. He tried to swallow to get rid of the feeling, but instead, it grew.

"Cynthia," he croaked out, leaning forward so that he could rest his elbows on the desk. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep concern as he tried to carefully think of what to say to her. All he wanted was to be there in person to comfort her. He wanted to take her into his arms, kiss away her tears, and whisper sweet words of affirmation into her ear, but he knew that maybe they were at the point where none of that would really work.

"It's okay," she would continuously tell him as she attempted to quell her own sobs, but he knew that was not the case.

Cynthia was just too kind for her own good - for his good as well.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out again. "I know you've been calling me all this time and I should've returned your calls as soon as I could, but -"

There it was again - the hesitation and the growing lump in his throat that prevented the words from coming out. Steven grit his teeth in frustration.

Why couldn't he say it?

It was becoming a repetitive cycle. She told him it was okay, again, but this time she said something else.

Something that nearly stabbed his heart into two.

"I - I don't know if this is working."

"...What?"

"Steven...it's been nearly three years since we've been together. I want you to be able to tell me everything."

His throat dried up. "I - I know -"

" - I want to know if something is hurting you. I - If something's making you upset."

"...I know."

"I want to be the one by your side if things get difficult for you, but I can't do that if you won't let me." He could hear her voice trembling. It pained him dearly to hear her sound like this. He was always so used to hearing her confident, commanding voice that she used during championship battles or the soft, velvety voice that she used when it was just the two of them.

In regards to what Cynthia had said, Steven remained quiet. He knew that he had to talk to her about everything. If something was affecting him negatively to the point where he was unable to call back his significant other, then something had to be done, but he found himself unable to act upon it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I...might have to turn in for the evening."

Without so much as a goodbye, Steven heard that she hung up and he was soon met with complete silence. He sat there for a bit, his mind in static, numb state.

It was not until he heard another call coming through to his pokenav that he blinked and realized that the world around him had not stopped.

He answered, his voice sounding groggy and dry. "...H-Hello?"

"Woah, is this a bad time?" It took him a while, but Steven realized that it was his best friend, Wallace.

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Steven ran his hand through his hair and held his head. "No," he stammered, trying to get a grip on himself. "What is it, Wallace?"

"Sorry, I know it's a bit late in the evening. I got held up with gym battles all day, but just letting you know that you could have several challengers tomorrow headed to Evergrande. I know most of them can't get past the Elite Four, but just thought I'd let you -" Wallace paused briefly before asking in deep concern, "- hey, are you okay, Steven?"

"I'm listening."

"Yeah, but not very well."

"I am," Steven insisted tiredly.

"Oh really?" He could practically see Wallace's eyebrow raised as he asked the question. "Then tell me, how many challengers am I sending your guys' way tomorrow?"

Steven blurted out the first number that came to mind. "Four."

"Wrong. I never said how many."

An exasperated sigh left the champion's lips and he tightly closed his eyes. "Wallace...I'm not in the mood for your games."

"Well, you need to tell me what's up. You're clearly not yourself and don't try to refute it because I've been your best friend since we were toddlers, Steven. You can't fool me." When he was met with another sigh, Wallace pursed his lips and declared in a commanding tone, "alright, that's it! There's still a grace period before any challengers can face you after they beat the Elite Four, so I'm coming over tomorrow, whether you like it or not! I'm not letting you wallow alone in whatever it is that you're going through right now."

"_Wallace_…"

"Nope! I don't want to hear it right now! You can tell me when I get there tomorrow, bright and early! See you then!"

Steven opened his mouth to speak once more, but was cut off by the call abruptly ending. He stared down at his pokenav in disbelief. "For Arceus' sake…" he muttered as he snapped the device closed.

Steven was not a recluse by any means, but there was a reason he enjoyed excavating for rare rocks in the most isolated of caves and spending hours in his house analyzing, polishing, and organizing the precious minerals. These activities did not really involve other people and ultimately, he did not have to worry about hurting others. If he made a mistake, it would fall on him and him alone.

But - he did have to admit that it was lonely.

Even if he held the title of Hoenn's Champion, which was a position coveted by many and a title that drew lots of adoration, respect, and love, he felt isolated from the very people that put him there. Aside from Wallace, the other gym leaders treated him with respect, but kept their distance. The people who adored him, his fans, other pokemon trainers, they all saw his title rather than him as the person holding it.

It was no overstatement when these situations held true for his position as the sole heir to Devon Corporation. They were both the different sides of the same coin.

And what Steven felt were these two responsibilities of his colliding together finally. He did not want to disappoint his father with the corporation and he did not want to disappoint the League by renouncing his Championship title again.

He groaned at the growing headache he felt and buried his face into his arms on the desk in front of him. This was a side of him he did not want to show anyone, even Cynthia.

_"Maybe especially Cynthia,"_ he thought to himself regretfully. She was such a well-respected Champion in Sinnoh and perhaps in other regions too. Many of his fellow colleagues and trainers sing praises about her. She was even a well-respected researcher in the field of pokemon mythology. Not to mention, Steven was not deaf to the opinions many men had on her. To sum it up, as Brawley once told him and several others during a casual League conference, _"the Sinnoh champion, Cynthia? Yeah, she's smokin' hot. What I wouldn't give to take her out on a date."_

Steven felt absolutely lucky to have a woman of her high stature and merit to call as a girlfriend, but now -

He let out a defeated sigh and tilted his head slightly to the right to look at his discarded pokenav.

_"I messed it up with her."_

* * *

**A/N **The angst is starting ~

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

-ZERO


	3. Imperfect

**No, It's Not Perfect**

**Chapter 3 - Imperfect**

* * *

Heavy...everything felt _heavy_.

_Everything_ \- from his hands which were not working fast enough to unbutton _his_ shirt that she wore, to his chest which felt like they were failing to expand to allow in the proper amount of air into his lungs, to how heavy his own clothes felt on his back.

A delicious, feminine moan, moaning his name in-between their sloppy kisses reached his ears and it only served to sever a connection within him between himself and his self-control. His hands shook as he only managed to get her shirt off halfway, revealing a teasing view of her stomach and half of her black brassiere.

He cursed under his breath and reached over her head to grasp at the armrest of his sofa. It was a horrible attempt at trying to stabilize himself. He needed to calm down, but the fact that she there, lying beneath him, gray eyes practically begging him to take her, with pink, bruised lips coaxing him to kiss her again - it was far too much for him to handle.

His breathing came out heavy and labored, coming out in almost ragged gasps as he hovered over her, letting his lust-filled eyes rake over her half-naked form.

"...Steven…" she murmured, brushing away some loose strands of her blond hair that clung to her face with sweat. It was downright erotic watching her squirm so uncomfortably on his sofa. She let out a soft whimper as she leaned up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I missed you," he muttered, hastily kissing her ear, which caused her to shiver pleasurably.

"Then show me next time. Just like how you promised you'd show me how much you loved me."

He visibly gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing back and forth as he did so.

A single, hushed whisper met his ears. "...Show me everything."

From his throat, a low groan was produced as he felt her lips capture his in a fluid motion. They melded together perfectly and it was then that he realized that he really could not live without her by his side.

"Cynthia…" Steven whispered against her lips, his voice husky from want, before being conquered by another one of her dominating kisses.

To think that just a few days ago, the fate of their relationship was hanging on by a thread. Steven wondered just how they managed to go from almost ending their relationship for good, to desperately calling each other's name out in wispy, love drunk groans.

* * *

Staying true to his word the night before, Wallace arrived early in the morning to Steven's Mossdeep home, much to the young man's distaste.

"Oh!" the gym leader exclaimed as he shed the white coat he was wearing over his usual attire. "This place is a mess," he commented as he looked around the small abode. His sharp turquoise colored eyes narrowed in obvious disgust at the boxes upon boxes of unsorted rocks and minerals that lay strewn all over the hardwood floors.

Steven closed the door behind him and wrinkled his brow when his friend turned sharply on his heel to face him. "...What?" he remarked when he saw how Wallace was looking at him. It was not a pleasant look.

"You know what? You don't even need to tell me. I can already guess it - Cynthia broke up with you?"

"That obvious?" Steven asked as he rolled his eyes while making his way to the small kitchen. He pulled out two mugs, intending to make a cup of coffee for himself and tea for Wallace.

Wallace placed a hand on his waist as he strode over to his best friend. "You literally look like the embodiment of what a man looks like when he gets dumped."

"Thanks," Steven replied deadpanned as he started the coffee maker. He knew that he probably had some stubble since he had not shaved in a few days and he could definitely tell that he had eyebags.

"Have you even been sleeping properly?" Wallace asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow when he was met only with silence. Dramatically, he threw his head back and sighed loudly. "Steven, you can't expect Cynthia to take care of you when you can't even take care of yourself."

"Don't you think I know that?" he replied irately. Although unfazed by his snappy remark, Steven quickly apologized to Wallace for using such a rude tone with him. "I'm sorry," he sighed just as the coffee maker beeped. "It's... just been difficult for me recently."

"Yeah, I could tell. I watched your recent battle with the lapras girl. You were making a lot of mistakes and odd calls that were unbecoming of you." Wallace kept his eyes on Steven and picked up the slight clenching of his jaw and tensing of his shoulders. "I know you're a perfectionist, Steven. You have been since we were little kids, but you need to relax."

"I…" Steven stopped himself. He wanted to say something in his own defense, but found that the words refused to come out.

The water-type trainer sighed heavily as he approached his friend and gently pushed him out of the way. "Let me do this," he said as he grabbed the coffee pot. "Why don't you go sit down on the sofa...or...rather wherever there is room in your house and we'll continue this conversation."

"Wallace...I don't know -"

"If you're worried about time, don't be. I freed up my entire day just for you."

"You didn't have to."

"Oh, but I wanted to," Wallace smiled back at the other man warmly. "And I'm sure Cynthia would gladly do the same if you would let her."

Just the mere mention of the Sinnoh champion's name made Steven feel an odd sensation of something gripping his chest with piercing cold fingers and an airy, soft fluttering feeling in his abdomen. "...I'll go clear us the sofa then," he muttered as he let Wallace prepare their morning coffee.

* * *

Cynthia woke up to the smell of sweets - more specifically, chocolate chip cookies, her absolute favorite.

She tiredly pushed herself up from her bed, yawning and stretching before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It felt cold in her room, but not so much that it caused her discomfort. It was only natural for the cool air to permeate her room since she was sure that it was much colder outside than inside.

Sitting in the warmth of her bed, she looked out from her second-story window and saw a light dusting of snow on the ground, with more falling by each passing second. Finding solace and comfort in the pleasant weather conditions, she took a few minutes to just stare outside. However, the continuous wafting, delicious aroma of her favorite chocolate chip cookies downstairs, she decided to get out of bed.

She went through her morning routine - taking a hot shower, combing out her long blond hair, brushing her teeth, and getting dressed in her usual black clothes, except instead of her usual long black coat, she opted to wear a warmer trench coat in her signature black color.

"Good morning, sleepyhead! Going out somewhere?"

Cynthia was immediately greeted by the chipper voice belonging to her little sister. "Good morning, Skye," she responded with a kind smile. "And yes, I plan to stop by the League to pick up some files. But before I leave...why are you baking cookies this early in the morning?"

"Oh, you know!" the brunette sang playfully as she took out the hot cookies from the oven. "Just kinda felt like baking something!"

Cynthia walked over to the kitchen. "You know chocolate chip cookies are my weakness," she said, trying not to let it show that her mouth was watering.

"Yeah! They're your favorite!" Skye returned her older sister's skeptical expression with a broad smile. She quickly dropped it with a heaving sigh and set aside the batter that she was preparing for the second batch. "Alright, alright! I give - you've just been so down lately that I thought this would be a nice little thing for you to wake up to." The young girl dropped her gaze off to the side slightly and mumbled, "I - I mean, I know how hard it is after a break up. You know? Regarding you and Steven…"

"It's...not really a break up," Cynthia muttered, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "We're just - I don't know."

Skye raised an eyebrow at her sister. "You don't know?" She looked over her sister and her eyes immediately rested upon the beaded black bracelet that was slightly hidden underneath the sleeve of Cynthia's trench coat. "Riiight," she drawled, making a slight motion to the article of jewelry. "You guys are totally broken up."

The blond quickly realized what she was referring to and gasped lightly as she tried miserably to cover the bracelet.

"You don't hate him, do you? Otherwise that bracelet would've been the first thing gone."

Cynthia held her right wrist, gingerly letting the tips of her fingers roll over the delicate black gems that adorned the bracelet. It was a gift from Steven after their one-year anniversary. She had never seen such beautiful black gems, let alone knew that they even existed, but he said he searched for several months in the deepest of caverns just to give her a bracelet made of the precious mineral.

"I got it crafted into a bracelet by the finest jeweler in Hoenn. I know black is your favorite color, so I hope you'll like it." She could still hear his smooth voice, followed by the imagery of his heart-warming smile. "Happy one-year anniversary, Cyn."

It was the most thoughtful gift she had ever received from someone.

Skye noticed how crestfallen her sister appeared and how she was touching the bracelet she received from Steven. She eventually broke the silence with a brief response. "Why don't you go see him?"

Cynthia's gray eyes widened at the suggestion. "That's - I - I don't know about that," she stammered, shaking her head slightly. "He's pushing me away and I don't want to intrude -"

"- But you should intrude. You're his girlfriend and honestly, three years is a long time to be together. You have every right! Plus, with how old you two are too, I don't think your relationship is just a fluke that should end like this."

The young woman made a slight face. "I'm not that old...you make it sound like we're _really_ old."

Skye rolled her eyes as she returned her attention to the cookie batter. "Whatever, old enough. I guess I meant, mature. You're both super mature and...Steven seems like a good guy. I don't know what exactly happened, but unless he's cheating on you or something, you should try to go see him and work things out." The young girl stopped mixing the batter and turned around sharply to face Cynthia. "I mean...he's not cheating on you, right?"

The blond shook her head vigorously. "He most definitely would not! Never!"

"Figured," she said with a shrug. "He literally couldn't take his eyes off of you when he came over to our house. Remember? That one time you finally introduced him to grandpa and grandma?"

"R - Really?" Cynthia asked, incredulously, to which her sister responded with another eye roll.

"Come on, don't tell me you didn't notice! Sis, I know you're dense when it comes to romance, but this is unbelievable."

Her cheeks flared red in embarrassment. "You can't really blame me! I was more preoccupied with making sure grandpa and grandma approved of him."

"Oh please, like they would ever go against your decision to date him. He's a champion like you are, heir to one of the biggest corporations in the entire world, and he's apparently a "silver-haired dreamboat"."

Cynthia snorted as she began taking the cookies off the cookie sheet. "Where'd you hear that?"

Her sister shrugged. "I think it was on a Hoenn gossip magazine. They really like him since he's not only the champion, but also super handsome." Skye's face lit up as she faced her older sister again. "Hey, that's kinda like you! Not a day goes by when I see or hear people gush about how you're Sinnoh's hottest champion to date."

Cynthia groaned, visibly cringing at the thought. She was well-aware of how a large majority of the Sinnoh region considered her attractive, although she never really paid much attention to those headlines. She was much more interested in being acknowledged for her segments on pokemon mythology and her success as the first female champion of Sinnoh.

And perhaps that was why she held Steven in such high regard.

Despite meeting each other first at the annual Pokemon League gala several years ago, she ended up in a deep discussion with him over ancient ruins and history. She could still remember how he shyly, almost apprehensively, told her that he enjoys excavations and searching for rare rocks. (Which was why he happened to be knowledgeable in pokemon mythology, of course not as much as herself.)

He saw her for who she was first, rather than her physical appearance and her title.

She would have continued down memory lane, but was interrupted by Skye clearing her throat abruptly.

"Some people just have all the luck," she sighed wistfully. "It's hard enough getting a handsome guy, but to get one with the looks, high specs, and he treats you right? If you don't go visit him soon, I'll gladly do it, Sis."

The brunette burst out into laughter when she saw her sister's appalled look.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! He's way too old for me anyways."

"Gee, thanks -"

"- And," Skye started as her laughter died down. She smiled back at Cynthia with the utmost fondness. "Like I said, he truly does only have eyes for you, Sis. Trust me." Sensing the hesitation that remained inside of the blonde, she moved toward her and took hold of her hands. In a gentle, but firm grasp, she looked her directly in the eyes and asked, "promise me you'll go see him and work all this out?"

Taken aback by the sudden affection from her sister, Cynthia widened her eyes and then asked with an amused smile, "why are you so invested in my relationship?"

"Well, soooorry!" Skye retorted with a heavy blush. "I just want to see you happy! What kind of sister would I be if I didn't wish for that!?"

"I'm kidding," Cynthia replied with a giggle. She took her little sister into a comforting embrace and closed her eyes. Taking on a softer tone, she asked, "did I really look happier when I was with him?"

The brunette scoffed as she returned her sister's hug. "It was almost sickening with how sweet you two were."

"I see," she said softly, gently tightening her arms. She smiled in firm resolve, both at her sister and herself. "Then I promise to go see him soon."

"Good," Skye replied, returning the smile before she turned to look at the amount of cookies she had made so far. Her lips turned into a slight grimace as she sheepishly laughed. "Do you think he'd like chocolate chip cookies too? I think I made way too many for just our family."

Cynthia answered back with a soft laugh, finding that she was grateful to have her sister to confide in. "I believe he would love them."

* * *

It had been several days after Wallace had dropped by his house and now he was back again, just as supportive as ever. However, Steven was not sure if he enjoyed what was happening to him right now.

His teal eyes warily darted over to Wallace, who sat in a chair facing the sofa he was lying in. "Uhm...Wallace, I -?" he started hesitantly before he was cut off by his friend's calm, but piercing voice.

"No," he replied pointedly. "I know what you're going to say, so don't say it. Just tell me what you're feeling."

"Uncomfortable," Steven grumbled. "Are you sure this is what we need to do for me? This honestly feels like what I would envision a trip to the shrink would be."

"Ah - no, no. I told you I don't want to hear it," Wallace said, failing to hide his amused smile when he saw the disgruntled look Steven wore. "You need to come to terms with what you're going through."

The steel-type trainer shifted slightly so that he could get a good look at his friend. His lips flattened in discontent. "Can you...at the very least, not sit like that in a chair? It seriously feels like I'm in a therapist's office and -"

"- Okay, okay!" Wallace conceded, flailed his arms out dramatically. "Then if it'll make you feel better, how about we go for a walk? Would that be less intimidating?"

Thoughtfully, Steven paused for a moment before getting up from the sofa. "Yeah, sounds good."

The two men walked out, immediately being met with the brisk winter air that was mixed with the usual salty aroma of the ocean. Mossdeep, like the other parts of Hoenn, did not get too cold in the winter, but it did get chilly enough that Steven had to bundle up. He was also just exceptionally weak to the cold in general.

"Ironic that you're weak to the cold considering that steel-types have an advantage over ice," Wallace would always comment whenever he would see Steven bundled up in a scarf and peacoat. This time was no exception.

Steven simply ended up scoffing in response to the line every single time he heard it.

They walked up to the Mossdeep Space Center and ended up at the outdoor observatory area. There were various telescopes for visitors to use so that they could look out at the ocean. Wallace and Steven ended up walking up to one. The gym leader slipped a coin into the device and looked through it, languidly.

"You know, one time I saw Mirage Island through this." He noticed Steven's skeptical raised eyebrow. "I swear! No joke!"

That brought a smile to the champion's face. No matter how old they were or how many years have passed, Wallace still had some semblance of child-like innocence in him and Steven found himself feeling as if they were children, living through their days with very little worry.

The smile faded quickly however, when Steven was reminded of the present once more. He leaned his forearms against the protective railing that separated him from the dangerous cliffside that plummeted down to the ocean below. His teal eyes somberly looked on at the waves that crashed into the rocks beneath them.

Wallace noticed the change in his expression and sighed as he swiveled the telescope away. "Going back to what we were about to talk about," he paused briefly, gauging Steven's reaction, "why won't you let Cynthia in?"

"Getting right to the point, huh?"

"I know you don't like me beating around the bush." Wallace crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the railing right next to his friend. "So...why are you acting like this towards her? It's very clear that you intend to have her in your life forever."

Steven stared back at him, eyes wide. "Wha-?"

"Oh don't think I wouldn't notice." He shrugged while carrying a haughty grin on his face. "I saw a ring box in your desk drawer the other time I was over at your house."

Unable to retort or make up a viable excuse, Steven dropped his head in defeat.

A gentle ocean breeze swept past them and Wallace waited until it was completely calm once more before speaking.

"You were planning on proposing to her."

Steven's response was quiet, calm. "...Yeah," he managed to breathe out in a hushed whisper. "Yeah...I was."

There was a brief silence of Wallace staring, waiting for his friend to say something, and Steven, struggling to find the right words to verbalize. His fists loosening and then tightening every few seconds. The gap between his lips closing, then parting ever so slightly as if he was getting ready to speak.

This went on for however long it took Steven to finally ask in his usual calm, collected voice, "do you ever feel like...when you've been alone for so long, you forget how to interact with other people?"

The gym leader raised an eyebrow and asked back, "aren't you asking this to the wrong person? I'm quite the extrovert, you know."

Steven chuckled wryly. "You're telling me that you've never felt lonely?"

Wallace looked up at the quickly darkening skies above, contemplating briefly before facing his friend again. "Maybe...there is one," he responded sheepishly. "Remember that time when I thought you liked Winona too? I threw such a hissy fit on the playground that the teachers had to keep us separated for a few weeks. Remember that?"

"Wow," Steven breathed, surprised that Wallace could bring that memory up so quickly. It took him a while. "I had almost forgotten that. That was the first and only time we ever really fought, wasn't it?"

Adjusting his white beret slightly since the wind kept moving it slightly, Wallace snorted in amusement. "Of course. All over a girl too, how pathetic were we back then?"

"Only you," the silver haired man replied pointedly. "I was so confused when you approached me looking so angry." He broke out into a soft chuckle. "Your face was so red."

Wallace scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "Whatever. But to answer your question, that time when we weren't talking to each other was when I felt the loneliest. Even to this day. However, to say that it made me so lonely to the point where I forgot how to interact with other people? I can't say." Leaning slightly forward, closer to Steven, Wallace ended up asking in genuine concern, "is that how you've been feeling?"

The young man dropped his gaze back down to the ocean below. "I've been feeling overwhelmed with my duties as the champion and duties towards Devon and my father. It's all hitting me at once recently and...I feel like my only reprieve is when I go searching for rocks and -" He stopped himself.

"...And?" Wallace inquired.

"...When I'm with _her_," he muttered, somewhat embarrassed to admit it, but feeling that it needed to be said. Steven broke into an ardent smile at the fond memory of when she last visited him and they spent the entire day together. "That day when we were at the beach in Lilycove...I told her I'd show her how much I love her. The day immediately after, was when I actually went out to get that ring."

By that time, it was nightfall and the lights near the space center had flickered on. Wallace let his gaze wander, from the lights emitting from the large building, to the night sky illuminated with dozens of stars, to a familiar figure that had come up the stairs nearby. The water-type trainer's aqua blue eyes widened slightly in response, but decided to say nothing to his friend for now. Instead, he brought a single finger up to his lips, discreetly so that Steven would not notice, but noticeable enough to the person that was standing just a few feet behind the Hoenn champion.

"That's quite bold of you, Steven," Wallace commented, carrying on the conversation as if nothing had happened. "I mean...I hope the ring wasn't an impulse buy. I know you're rich and all, but -"

"- I can assure you that it wasn't an impulse buy at all," he snapped, annoyed that he even received such a comment from his friend. "You know I'm not that type of person."

"I know, I know. Just clarifying...for people who might not quite understand."

Steven flashed a face of confusion towards him, picking up that Wallace was acting rather odd, but he brushed it off when he was met with an innocent smile. He sighed, carefully adjusting the red scarf he wore when another cold breeze hit them. "There's no need for clarification. I love her, Wallace. So much, but…" His voice dropped to a low whisper. "I honestly don't know if I can say that to her anymore. I messed everything up and I don't know if anything's fixable at this point."

"...Well, why don't you talk to her right now? Confirm everything that you're worrying about."

"What…?" Steven breathed out, his eyes narrowed in skepticism at the gym leader. He noticed the direction that Wallace was looking off to and he quickly connected the dots. His once narrowed eyes, opened up wide in shock as he whipped around to see just who was behind him.

He could not believe it. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him.

But there was no denying that the woman standing before him was really her.

It was really her.

With a single breathless whisper, he uttered her name.

"..._Cynthia_?"

* * *

**A/N **So! Important question that I asked on the AO3 version of this fic, do you guys want this to be a lemon/smut fic? At the time I am updating this, I'm halfway through writing the last chapter and as you can see from the beginning of this chapter, things will get spicy between our two leads. The question is, do you guys want a detailed smut chapter or not? The rating will be changed accordingly if the smut does happen, but if it doesn't, I can just leave it as suggestive.

Feel free to review to let me know what you'd like!

Thank you SO much to **1oreo1** , **squirtleism**, and **122 Generation** for your reviews! I'm really happy to see people enjoying this short ficlet.

-ZERO


	4. Perfect

**A/N **So explicit content warning up ahead! I decided to go ahead with the smut/lemon. Hope you all enjoy!

**No, It's Not Perfect**

Chapter 4 - Perfect

* * *

She always felt like Hoenn's mild climate was a bit too warm for her liking. Even now in the dead of winter, sitting on the cold sand of Mossdeep's shores, she felt the need to shed her trench coat. The same could not be said for Steven, however.

Cynthia glanced over at him and could not help, but hold back a giggle at how bundled up he was. He was practically swimming in his thick scarf and black peacoat. Despite the serious nature of the conversation that was about to take place, just the mere sight of him brought a smile to her face.

"...If you're cold, we can move this conversation someplace indoors?"

She waited for Steven to say something and she spent the next few minutes nervously glancing up at him and then towards the vast darkness of the ocean in front of them. The furious beating of her heart calmed slightly when she saw him take a seat on the cold sand next to her, giving her his answer.

They simply sat there in complete silence, just listening to the waves of the ocean crash onto the beach.

Until Steven broke it with the start to their much needed conversation.

"You didn't have to come all this way."

"I wanted to," Cynthia responded without any hesitation. "I wanted to see you."

She heard him draw in a sharp inhale and even in the darkness, she could make out the subtle trembling of his hands.

Steven noticed she was staring at him and he brought his knees up closer to him, chuckling nervously as he clasped his hands together in a vain attempt to stop them from shaking. "I'm sorry...I have so much to say to you, but I can't even say any of it."

"If it's a matter of what to say, you don't have to filter anything around me, Steven," Cynthia reassured him. "You know that."

He laughed dryly. "...Maybe I didn't know that. Maybe that's why I'm so damn nervous."

Steven was never really one to curse verbally, no matter how frustrated he was.

That was why Cynthia waited, pausing. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked, her voice coming out a lot more distraught than she wanted it to. It was hard to hide her own anxieties and fears regarding this conversation. The uncertainties are what was killing her.

The silver haired man turned to her, his eyes slightly wide at what she said. "No, not at all," he affirmed and reaffirmed by repeating it. "Not at all."

Although it eased her mind, just a little bit, Cynthia downcast her gaze to the sand. She drew little idle circles in it with the delicate tip of her index finger. "Then...why won't you talk to me about what's troubling you?"

He inhaled and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes and then reopening them.

An uncertain pause. Then -

"I…I'm afraid of losing you," he whispered, the grip he had on his hands tightening.

Cynthia's expression reflected pain and confusion. Her voice cracked. "Why would you think that you'd lose me?" She furrowed her brow at the revelation and leaned slightly forward towards him. In a softer tone, she coaxed him gently. "Tell me, Steven."

He bit down lightly on his lips before releasing them. His eyes avoided hers for a while, but when he spoke, she found herself staring directly into them. Teal against gray, and it was then when she realized just how close they were to each other.

"I'm afraid of showing you my flaws...my weaknesses. Not because I think you'd exploit them. Never that. But...I want you to be impressed by me." Steven's cheeks turned a slight pink that only she could notice with how close she was to his face. He looked away briefly, embarrassed, as she would imagine him to be.

He was so quiet and reserved outside of Pokemon battles or official champion duties, and his openness caused her to blush harder.

Cynthia nervously moved away slightly, finding that the close proximity of their faces was not easing her nerves. She tucked a stubborn lock of hair behind her ear, only to have it fall from its place no matter how many times she did it. "You really…" she mumbled, "don't have to go out of your way to impress me."

By the time she wanted to give up on the frustrating lock of hair that refused to stay on her ear, she was met with a welcomed touch.

Steven reached out to tuck her hair back for her, gently as if she were made of fragile glass. It was then he whispered softly, "I want to be the best man I could be for you, Cynthia."

She stared at him, her cheeks reddening by each passing second. Her head instinctively leaned towards his hand, craving his touch, but was only met with disappointment when he pulled away. The female champion pouted a little and went back to the conversation at hand. "...You're so cheesy sometimes, Steven."

"You're not denying that you like it." He offered up a small smile, shy with his lighthearted jab.

Cynthia felt her ears heat up and she quickly looked away, saying nothing in response.

"It's the truth," he continued. "Everything I said. You mean the world to me and I wish I could give the world to you. But...I suppose I've been feeling like I've been falling short." Steven noticed her confused expression and scoffed at himself. "It probably sounds incredibly stupid, but everything I do doesn't feel like its enough. And...I really didn't want you to see this side of me."

She could hear the slight tremble in his voice.

"It's pathetic...really. Being worried over something so trivial." Steven chuckled wryly and played with the ring on his left hand, twisting the silver band around his ring finger over and over again.

"Is it?" she asked, after a brief pause of silence. Cynthia met his eyes and smiled ardently at him. "And here I was worried that you were avoiding me for a completely different matter."

"Like?"

She laughed. "My sister thought you were cheating on me and I almost believed her because you've never acted like this."

Steven's jaw dropped. "I would never!" he strongly protested, appalled at the mere idea of infidelity.

The blonde laughed harder at his reaction. "That's what I said to her. "No matter what - even if you were threatened with your life, you would never betray me like that or in any way." That's what I thought," Cynthia responded, breaking out into soft giggles again he averted his eyes with an embarrassed blush.

He glanced at her as she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees.

She drew in a soft breath. "...I'm glad. So glad." Her voice shook as she spoke and Steven noticed how her gray eyes were becoming glossy. "I thought we wouldn't be able to work it out. I was so worried…" She let out a trembling sigh. "Worried that we wouldn't be able to share moments like this ever again. ...You know?" She turned to face him, crying unashamedly. Even through the tears, she smiled, breaking into a soft laugh. "I really enjoy being with you, Steven. Every time either of us have to leave, I feel like that might be the last time we ever see each other again. I know it sounds really dramatic, but - I just...really end up missing you and I'm not sure if you feel the same way - !"

She was cut off when he pulled her into him.

Cynthia found herself being held against him, her head flush up against his chest. Her eyes widened, but relaxed soon after, welcoming the intimate embrace.

The two remained intertwined in silence on the dark beach until it was finally Cynthia who broke the silence by calling out his name.

"Steven?" she asked, the silence piquing her curiosity.

"...I don't want you to leave either," he whispered, tightening his hold around her. "Whenever you have to leave, I want to tell you to stay." Steven buried his face into her soft blond hair. He inhaled placidly, then exhaled with a bitter chuckle. "Is it too selfish of me to ask that you stay here with me tonight? I don't care if either of us have things to do tomorrow, but please...just stay. I don't feel like letting you go just yet."

Cynthia felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She rested her head on his shoulder, forcing herself to laugh in order to hold back her incoming tears.

"That's rather unfair of you, Steven."

He laughed through his nose. "And why's that?"

"Because...you can't demand something like that from a busy woman like me."

"It's not a demand. More like...a strong suggestion." He laughed when he heard her let out a soft 'hmph'. "You're also not resisting," he pointed out, pulling away from her just enough so that he could see her face.

Cynthia rolled her eyes before letting her lips spread into a warm smile. "Because someone has his arms around me."

"Nope. You're free to go whenever."

"Whenever?"

Steven nodded, even releasing his hold around her. He smirked when he saw her skeptical gaze. "That doesn't mean I'll let you go that easily though."

Realizing what he meant, Cynthia shot up and made a run for it. It was hard running on loose sand of the beach, but she did her best, especially in her heeled boots. She took a look behind her and broke into an adrenaline filled laugh when she saw Steven coming after her.

It was as if she was five again and playing a game of tag with her best friend.

The two ran as fast as they could off the beach and back up onto the main roads of Mossdeep - all the while laughing clamorously.

Cynthia loved the sound of his laugh. It was juvenile, but she enjoyed the baritone sound that accompanied it. It sounded real - genuine, and it almost caused her to slow her pace as she got closer to his house. So much so that he managed to touch the tips of her long blond hair trailing behind her.

It was not long before they did finally reach his front door and almost immediately, Cynthia felt his arms come around her waist and she was captured with a hug from the back. Partly from her being ticklish and from the previous exhilaration of running away from him, she continued laughing breathlessly.

He laughed alongside her, fumbling with his house key as he tried to open up the door with one hand. Once succeeding, he hauled her inside, their laughter soon dying down to soft pants and chuckles.

Steven closed the door behind them and leaned her back up against it. He had her comfortably pinned and he whispered in a low voice, "caught you."

Before she could even react, Cynthia felt him press a soft, loving kiss on her lips. She hummed against him, hearing herself whining a little in disappointment when he pulled away as quickly as he came.

His kisses were always too short for her tastes.

Finding her pouting irresistibly adorable, Steven kissed her again and again. Each kiss growing bolder than the previous one.

"More," she whispered in-between one of the kisses, gasping as she was still trying to catch her breath from all the running they did.

He complied, parting his lips and silently asking her for permission into her mouth. A soft groan rolled out of his throat as he experimentally moved his lips in sync with his tongue. Steven did not think he was a great kisser, for he felt like the entire performance was sloppy and in poor practice, but hearing Cynthia's mewling moans, begging him for more sparked a new level of confidence in him.

When they finally pulled away, Cynthia stared up at him, eyes half-lidded. Even in the darkness, she could see his state of unravel, from his bruised lips to the feral look in his teal colored eyes.

It sent a sweeping warmth throughout her body, enticing her to want to see more of him.

Steven flipped the switch for the lights in the living room and promptly got off of her. He hurriedly apologized. "Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you."

She shook her head, blushing at how thoughtful he was despite being overcome by passion. Feeling the awkwardness that followed their makeout session, both Cynthia and Steven stood there, blushing and fidgeting at what they should do next.

"I'm sorry for coming over so unannounced -!"

"Sorry this place is such a mess -!"

They both ended up talking over each other, then stopped when they realized they had cut each other off.

Cynthia held her hand over her mouth and giggled. "Since I came over so unprepared…I wouldn't want to burden you by housing me. I could spend the night at the pokemon center."

Steven made a confused face at what she said and it quickly dawned on the young woman that he wanted her there.

He wanted her to spend the night.

With him.

The Sinnoh champion quickly retracted her statement. "I'm so sorry. I - I didn't want to impose. Plus, it clearly looks like you weren't expecting company."

Steven shook his head as he unraveled his scarf. "I wasn't, but you're an exception. I normally don't even let Wallace crash at my house unannounced."

She snickered, imagining that the reason why is because of how much the Sootopolis gym leader liked to talk and to an introvert like Steven, it meant that he was in for an exhausting night. "I'm honored," she replied, making herself comfortable by taking off her trench coat. A quick apology left her when she heard a bit of loose sand fall from her clothes.

The silver haired man did not seem to mind. "It happens when you live on an island," he reassured her as he took her coat hang it on the nearby coat rack. "Don't worry about it. How about I get you some more comfortable clothes to change into for the night?"

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "You have spare womens' clothes lying around?"

He simply laughed. "No. It's just some spare pajamas I have. They might be a bit loose, but it's more comfortable than sleeping in those I figure." Steven motioned to her semi- casual attire.

It was true that her straight black pants were rather constricting and the blouse she wore was not made of the most comfortable material. She nodded, taking him up on his offer.

Cynthia followed him towards his bedroom and waited by the door as he sifted through his closet, which did not take long since everything appeared to be organized with not even a hair out of place. A definite stark contrast to the mess of rocks and documents that lay strewn all over his living room.

"I don't really wear black, but I did find some in your favorite color. I think it's been months since I wore these." Steven handed them to her with a smile.

The black pajama top and pants felt silky smooth in her hands and Cynthia thanked him.

"You can get changed in here. I'll go make us a small dinner. I'm guessing that you haven't had anything to eat, right?"

"No, actually. Some food sounds great."

"Perfect. If you want...you can also take a shower. Feel free to use any of my toiletries."

Cynthia thanked him again and waited until he closed the door behind her to let out a breath she had been holding in. She set the pajamas down on his well-made bed and let her eyes wander all around his room as she got undressed. Her eyes rested on the various glass displays filled with rare gems and rocks. Undoubtedly they were the ones that Steven had collected from his adventures and she made a mental note to ask him the story behind each one someday. She was sure that he could recall all of them perfectly with no details missed.

She smiled, happy just at the thought of being able to hear more stories about him and his life when she was not around.

It would definitely make for a good end to this long evening.

* * *

"Hope you're okay with some reheated vegetable soup." Steven slid a small bowl of the tasty looking soup towards the young woman, who was now clad in a full set of his pajamas with his towel draped over her head.

"This looks amazing! Even if it is reheated," she remarked, giggling as she happily helped herself to the soothing meal.

Steven watched her, leaning precariously against his kitchen counter and gracefully fidgeting her bare leg a little bit as she happily ate.

Emphasis on bare legs.

He did not know if she was too trusting to a fault, but this was Cynthia - the revered and feared champion of Sinnoh. The strongest trainer in the region and even in Hoenn since she did technically beat him several times in their private pokemon battles. (She would jokingly ask him to hand over his champion title after each win.)

There was no way this woman was so unguarded around him and unaware of just what effect she was having on him.

"Aren't you eating?" she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"H - Huh? Oh, right. Sorry. I must be tired," he lied, trying to laugh it off as he brought the hot soup to his lips.

He mentally cursed at himself for thinking about it too deeply. Maybe she really was just 'too hot' and decided to strut out of his room wearing only the top half of his pajamas. Maybe she really wasn't trying to seduce the living daylights out of him.

'Stop acting like a pervert,' he thought as he found himself unable to stomach the soup anymore.

Steven was snapped out of his thoughts again when he heard the clatter of her spoon hitting the bottom of her bowl. He was a bit surprised to see that she had eaten all of it so quickly. "You must have been hungry," he commented, earning him a sour glare from her.

"Of course I was! It took hours to fly over here from Sinnoh. I didn't have a bite to eat since this morning." Cynthia raised an eyebrow at his own completely untouched bowl of soup. "And you don't seem to have much of an appetite."

"Just...tired," he lied. Steven could not bring himself to tell her the real reason why he was so spaced out and lost interest in eating anymore.

She narrowed her gray eyes at him, sensing that something was amiss with him, but decided not to think too deeply on it. "I think you should eat. You honestly look like you haven't been eating well."

"I -" Before Steven could even begin speaking, he felt utterly defeated when she took his bowl of soup and scooped up some of its contents before holding it out for him to eat.

"Here, before it gets cold."

He could have sworn his cheeks were colored in vivid shades of red as he stood there dumbly in front of a gorgeous woman who was willingly trying to feed him. "I - uhm - I can feed myself," was all he could manage.

Cynthia, however, was not going to take no for an answer. She held the spoon stubbornly at him, inching it closer to his lips and close enough to the point where he had no choice, but to eat. "There - was that so hard?" she asked, satisfied when she pulled out the clean spoon from his mouth.

Steven said nothing, not that he could have said something even if he tried.

They spent the next few minutes in silence. Cynthia was simply spoon-feeding Steven as he eventually got somewhat comfortable with the action. It was not until she giggled that he realized just how embarrassing the situation was.

"This reminds me of when I had to spoon-feed Garchomp when she was just a little gible." She tried, but failed miserably to hold in a laugh.

Steven was completely mortified. "So I remind you of your garchomp?" he asked incredulously, his blush only growing more intense.

Cynthia giggled at his expression and quickly set aside the soup. "Maybe I said it wrong," she replied, attempting to quell her boyfriend's embarrassment. "It's just...new to me. All of this. Even though we've been together for three years, I feel like this is the closest I've ever been to you. I mean, this is the first time we're spending the night together."

He noticed the blush on her own cheeks growing brighter as she continued.

"Wearing your clothes too...I don't know what it is, but it's a nice feeling," she admitted with a bashful smile. Cynthia coyly looked up at him and gently placed her hand over his - the simple action causing his heart to skip a beat. "It's like this...and your whole house...it's not a surprise obviously, but everything smells like you - I know it sounds really...weird and I don't mean for it to sound that way, but..." He felt as if he could die a happy death at that moment and what she said next caused him to lose his last bit of self-control.

"...It makes me happy. It feels like we're married tonight."

That was it.

Cynthia cried out in surprise when she was suddenly scooped up into his arms. "St - Steven!" she exclaimed as she was unceremoniously dropped onto the sofa. Her gray eyes were widened in pure surprise as she saw him climb on top of her. The sudden feeling of shyness returned and she felt herself sinking back into the sofa under his gaze. His teal eyes seemed almost predatory as he placed one arm on the backrest and the other against the armrest over her head. She shivered, not out of fear, but anticipation.

"Now who's being the unfair one?" he asked, his voice husky with want.

"H - Huh?" she stammered, completely perplexed, but...sexually intrigued by this new side of Steven she had never seen. She bit her bottom lip slightly in anticipation.

He took hold of a lock of blond hair, still damp from her shower, and brought it up to his nose. He took a whiff, smelling a mixture of her usual lavender scent mixed in with his scent. It enthralled him. "You were expecting this to happen, weren't you?" he asked her as he let go of her hair.

Cynthia drew in a sharp, audible gasp when she felt his hand wantonly run up her bare thigh.

"I might be a gentleman," he whispered into her ear, smirking when he saw her tremble softly at this, "but even I have my limits. You can't have expected me to keep my cool when you're wandering around my house without any pants and talking about how we're a married couple."

She returned his smirk, the shyness retreating from her. "Why do you think I agreed to stay the night? You know very well that I could have gone to sleep by myself at the pokemon center if I wanted to."

He paused, as if giving what she had said some thought.

Now it was her turn to whisper into his ear. "...I wanted you just as much as you wanted me tonight, Steven."

Cynthia was not sure how quickly things between them were going to escalate, but it felt like a blind rush of lust that consumed both her and the man on top of her. She egged him on to unbutton the pajama top she wore by arching her back towards him, all the while letting out a series of feminine groans whenever he would deliver a sloppy kiss.

He hovered over her, keeping himself from crushing her by propping himself up with one hand gripping the armrest above her head.

She could hear his labored breathing and the veins in his forearms popping, becoming defined as he clenched his fist. Cynthia could see his eyes rake all over her body and she had wondered why he stopped. It was clear that he wanted to continue this more than anyone.

Perhaps he was looking for her permission again.

"...Steven…" she murmured, brushing away some loose strands of her blond hair that clung to her face with sweat. His expression relaxed a bit and Cynthia knew that calling out his name worked in the right direction. She reached out to him, further coaxing him by wrapping her thin arms around his neck.

He was breathing right into her ear and Cynthia felt her eyelids flutter closed in pleasure.

"I missed you," he muttered.

She shivered at the sensation of him kissing her ear, nibbling at the outer shell lightly before pulling away. "Then show me next time. Just like how you promised you'd show me how much you loved me." Cynthia's half-lidded eyes caught sight of his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Her eyes then fell to the definition of his collarbones and subtly, she licked her lips. How she would love to leave kiss marks all over his neck and clavicle…

"...Show me everything," she ended up whispering to him, effectively sending him over the edge again.

Cynthia was bombarded by kisses from him and she happily accepted each one. She felt a heat build up in her lower abdomen and instinctively, she bucked her hips upwards, desperate to find some sort of relief. As she did so, she felt a foreign hardness grind up against her as well.

Steven promptly groaned at the sensation and fought back the urge to grind against her. No - that would be tragic if he were to stop it just there. They were going to go all the way. The two of them were far too long ahead in their relationship to pass up the most perfect opportunity.

"Cynthia…" he whispered against her lips, his voice slurring from the flood of emotions overtaking his body.

"Take me on your bed," she commanded, hushed and quick. The urgent need in Cynthia's voice was apparent and Steven wasted no time in fulfilling her desires.

He got up off of her and helped her up.

Cynthia took his outstretched hand and hopped up eagerly. Unable to fight off the urge to touch him, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt collar and pulled him forcefully towards her. She kissed him deeply as she guided him to his room, stumbling as both of them tried to navigate their way around without breaking lip contact.

One would have considered it a comical sight. The two Pokemon trainers - Champions, no less - who were normally cool, calm, and collected, were now knocking each other around the house, unable to seperate for even just a second in order to walk like how normal people would.

"Ngh - Cyn…" Steven moaned softly against her as she pushed him up against the door to his bedroom, a bit rougher than she had thought. He let her take control his tongue, swiveling and sliding it around however she pleased with her own. When she began trailing her kisses from his mouth down to his neck, he rolled his head to the side slightly to allow her better access.

Cynthia always thought that Steven had a beautiful complexion for a man. Perhaps it was from all the time he spent away from the sun, but he had pale skin that was practically begging her to mark it up.

"Mm," she hummed in content as she licked and suckled on a pulse, earning her a soft groan from Steven that barely passed his lips. Cynthia gently bit and nibbled at the same spot, all the while using her hands to unbutton the rest of his dress shirt. She moved on from the now reddened, sore spot and went further down.

"Ah!" Steven cried out, flinching when she bit down rather hard at the junction where his neck connected with his shoulder. That was sure to leave a mark.

Cynthia paused, worried for a second that she might have hurt him beyond the threshold of pleasure, but seeing as he was holding onto her tighter than ever, she dismissed her worries. A surge of pride swept through her when she continued leaving bruising kiss marks all over his clavicle and neck areas, all the while extracting the most delicious moans from him.

She eventually pulled away to admire her handiwork. A subconscious flick of her tongue came out to lick her lips at the sight presented before her.

His shirt was halfway off, buttons completely undone, and exposing the smooth muscles of his pale torso. From his heaving chest, her eyes trailed up past the battlefield of angry red kiss marks she left on his neck, and rested on his bruised lips which were parted slightly to allow himself more air to breathe. His eyes appeared dazed, unfocused, even when he rolled them over to look at her.

"...You…" he breathed out, pushing himself off the door slightly just so that he could open it. "You really like my neck, don't you?" he asked as he gave a cheeky smirk.

"Just as much as you seem to like my legs," she replied, matching his smirk with one of her own.

Steven rolled his eyes playfully. "Shall I mark them up just like you did to me then?"

"That's rather unbecoming of a gentleman like yourself to say to a lady, Mr. Stone." Cynthia snickered, enjoying this flirtatious banter that they were sharing.

"Well," he muttered, leaning into bury his face into the side of hers. Steven wrapped his arms around her lithe waist and gently guided her over to his bed as he spoke. "After you came over unannounced, isn't it the least you could let me do to you? Or would you rather let me do other things to you?"

Cynthia gasped as the back of her knees made contact with the edge of the bed. Her legs buckled out from underneath her and she fell back onto the soft mattress, along with Steven on top of her.

She opened her mouth to respond, but found that only a soft mewl could make it out. Her eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of him nuzzling her neck and occasionally flicking out his tongue to taste her sweet skin. "J - Just… out of curiosity - ah! What…? What would you...l - like to do to me?" she breathed out, squirming underneath him.

Steven detached himself from her briefly to look at her face to face. He smiled, a mischievous look flickering in his teal colored eyes. "I thought you'd be okay with waiting, Champion Cynthia," he said, addressing her by title just to rouse her. He always found it fun to tease her a little bit. "You always seem so patient on the battlefield."

She shot him a disgruntled glare.

He laughed. "But, if you insist I tell you…" Steven slowly popped open the rest of the buttons on his shirt that she wore.

When the last button was off, he had to bite his lower lip to suppress a groan that threatened to come out. He now fully understood why she always wore black.

She looked devastatingly gorgeous in it.

The black underwear set she wore was a perfect contrast to her porcelain pale skin. The way she was lying on the bed was no joke either. It was as if she was doing her best to seduce him into submission.

Cynthia saw him staring down at her in a dumbfounded daze and she knew that he was completely mesmerized by her. Attempting to hide the urge to smile confidently at her clear victory, she stuck her lip out in a cute pout. "Tell me...you know I don't like being kept waiting," she said, purposely wiggling underneath him just so that she could experimentally nudge her thigh up against the growing tent in his pants.

The reaction she got from him was enticing and far from disappointing.

He hissed, one of his arms buckling so that he was now resting on his elbows. Steven lowered himself down enough so that his mouth was up against her ear. He murmured incoherent words, swallowing harshly, and gasping for air as he tried to recover.

She could tell that he was holding himself back immensely.

"...Shall I tell you want I'd like for you to do to me?" she asked, whispering directly into his ear. Cynthia smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I...don't want you to hold back, Steven."

He stiffened.

She took notice and chuckled at how adorable his reaction was. "I mean it - I want you to touch me...all over." Cynthia touched his bare shoulder and dragged her nails lightly down the curve of his spine. He shivered.

"I…" he choked out, trying his best to compose himself. "I don't want to hurt you. You mentioned to me that you've never -" Steven stopped when she pressed a kiss to his lips.

"You could never hurt me, Steven," Cynthia replied, reassuring him with a warm smile.

His expression softened, but the worry did not leave him. "Are you sure?" he asked one last time, to which she replied -

"...Weren't you the one that said that you wanted to show me how much you loved me?"

He pushed himself up slightly so that he could look into her eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her physical pain, but the strain he felt just holding back his desires was driving him insane. Steven took hold of her wrist, the one bound by the bracelet he had given her. He brought it up to his lips and he gently kissed it along with the smooth skin on her wrist, all the while keeping his eyes locked with hers.

The way he treated her with the utmost care caused her to blush. Even though they had been together for all these years, she was still seduced by the simple romantic acts that he would do for her as if this was their first courting.

Steven eventually chuckled against her wrist. "Yeah," he breathed out, "I did say that."

"So - show me."

And that was all he needed from her.

Cynthia shuddered when he came crashing down on her with a feverish kiss. She moaned into his mouth, gladly offering him up her tongue as she helped him take off his shirt.

It went off somewhere on the floor, the darkness of the room concealing its exact location as the next article of clothing that followed was Cynthia's borrowed shirt.

"Steven…" she moaned softly, kissing him breathlessly as he unhooked her bra. The front clasp released and the piece of underwear popped open, causing the young woman to bashfully pull away from her boyfriend and hide her breasts from his eager gaze. "S - Sorry," she stammered, suddenly feeling incredibly shy in front of him. Cynthia let out a humorless laugh. "I guess I'm still a bit unprepared."

"You don't want me to see?" he asked, almost too innocently.

She blushed at his response. "...I-It's not that I don't want you to see! I just - I don't know…" Cynthia drew in a sharp gasp when she felt him grab a hold of both her wrists. "Steven -!" Her strength left her and she immediately turned her head away when her arms were pried away from her chest. It was far too embarrassing to see his reaction.

"...Cute," he muttered, staring with half-lidded eyes at her chest and her shy expression. She did not have a large chest by any means, but they were not too small either. Steven could care less really at the end of the day (he never considered himself to be a "breast" guy), but he did find himself overcome with the urge to take one of her pink nipples into his mouth.

An involuntary yelp escaped her as she felt the warm wetness of his mouth capture one of her hardened nipples. She trembled at the new pleasurable sensations that shot through her body. "Steven…" she moaned softly, a series of mewls following afterwards as he continued to tend to her breasts, alternating between the two of them. As he would be licking one, the other was being massaged by his hand. She always appreciated how aesthetically pleasing the rings he wore on his hands were, but now she was appreciating the practicality of them as they provided a welcome contrast from the warmth of his palms.

He tenderly licked the soft pink peaks, occasionally applying his teeth gently to them, causing her to arch into him. At this point, Steven was sure that she was enjoying herself and even though she was not directly touching him, the way she moaned his name in an alluring feminine tone was more than enough for his own pleasure as well.

"Ah!" she exclaimed sharply when he bit down a little bit harder on one of her nipples. "S- Steven…?" she whined, recovering from the sudden pain and silently wishing that he would continue. However, when she saw him get up off of her, she sat up as well, brow furrowing in question.

It was hard to see because of how dark it was and the only source of light coming from the moon outside, but she could make out the noticeable bulge in his pants as he fumbled with his belt. Her eyes widened in both anticipation and apprehension.

"Wait," he panted out as he reached over to his nightstand to yank open the drawer.

Cynthia saw him fishing out a small flat object, which gave off a metallic glint to it. At first, she was not sure what it was, but when he ripped it open, she blushed heavily at the realization. "I - uhm - didn't expect you to have some condoms ready to go," she commented, fidgeting nervously as it dawned on her that they were actually going to go all the way.

He blinked before unbuckling his pants. "Well...we've been together for 3 years. I assumed we'd eventually...need them."

She blushed heavily, averting her eyes when she heard his pants drop to the floor, but then with her morbid curiosity getting the better of her, she shyly looked back at him. It was still dark, but she could see the faint outline of his figure. Her cheeks flared with heat when she saw him give himself a few pumps, groaning as he stroked his hardened member.

"Wa - Wait, Steven…"

Cynthia stopped him just before he rolled the condom onto his. She crawled up to him, her blond hair cascading off of her bare back as she did so.

Before he could even question what she was going to do, he ended up dropping his jaw and letting out a low groan.

It was almost hard for him to believe that Cynthia was inexperienced with sex and that this was probably the first time she had ever given a blowjob to a man, because it all felt so damn good. The sensation of her warm mouth wrapped around his cock was almost too much for him to handle and he desperately tried to control himself. It did feel good, but this was not how he envisioned their time together.

"C - Cynthia," he gasped out her name as she hummed in response. "Don't - I -"

She pulled herself away, releasing him with a soft 'pop' and Steven found himself staring down into her round gray eyes, wide with confusion.

"Was it...not good? I...heard that men really like it when -"

"- No! It's not that," he cut her off, uninterested in her explanation. "I just -" He blew out a wry laugh as he simply ended up kissing her. He was simply at a loss for words with what just happened. It was almost unlike her to service him in such a manner - unexpected.

Steven pulled away, giving her a loving gaze as he cleared away her bangs away from her eyes. "It's your first time...as well as mine. I want both of us to enjoy this, not just myself."

Cynthia thought that her heart would burst out from her chest. She stared at him, wide eyed with a lovestruck blush forming on her face. Miserably, she hid her face, trying to hide the joy she felt from his love for her. "Always the gentleman…" she mumbled, questioning, wondering how she ended up with such a perfect man as her boyfriend.

They both settled themselves comfortably on the bed, with Cynthia laying back so that her head was cozy up against his large plush pillows. She waited for him, an expectant look in her eyes as she watched him roll the condom onto himself and carefully crawl up to her. A single breath escaped past her lips when she felt his cold hand cup her warm cheek. She trembled.

"I'll try to make it hurt less," he whispered, kissing her gently. Steven could see that her shoulders were more relaxed now at his reassuring words. He let his hands trail down the curve of her waist and rest at her hips for a brief second before hooking his thumbs underneath the soft lace of her black panties.

She helped him take them off by lifting her legs slightly. Her breath hitched in her throat when he let his eyes rake over her body as she was in a vulnerable position with her legs spread open before him and one of her ankles resting on his shoulder.

"You're really wet," he murmured, his voice husky as he discarded her underwear on the floor. "...That's good. It'll make it a little easier."

"Mm," Cynthia hummed in response, her lips slightly pursed at the building tension. The anticipation was nearly driving her mad.

Sensing that she was still nervous, Steven silently guided her hands up to his neck. "Hold onto me. You can bite down again if it distracts you from the pain."

Cynthia could make out the love bites she had left on his neck earlier, even in the dark. She nodded against him, holding him tightly as she felt him prod at her wet entrance. They had been engaging in foreplay for a majority of the evening, so she was hoping that she would be prepared enough for him.

How wrong she was.

Her entire body tensed as soon as she felt him pushing in. "Wa - Wait, St...even! It -!" Cynthia was afraid she was going to smother him with how tightly she had her arms around him. She attempted to muffle herself by burying her face into his shoulder, but found it futile. "It's too...big! It's not going to fit -!" She was panicking. Despite her tough demeanor, Cynthia admittingly was weak to pain. She had a low tolerance for anything that physically hurt.

"- Relax, Cyn. I need you to relax for me - ngh!" Steven grit his teeth, finding it hard to push further into her when she was attempting to close up her legs. She was so tight and he was sure that if he tried to go any further, he would actually end up hurting her greatly.

The blonde shook, sniffling into his neck as she muffled her cries. "I'm sorry...I - I don't know what's wrong. I think I've been prepared, but -" It was embarrassing. She knew he wanted to be fully inside of her and she knew he was holding back immensely just from how ragged his breathing was, but it was hurting far too much.

"Why...are you sorry?" he asked, holding himself up in place so that he did not end up spearing into her any further.

"Because!" she exclaimed, finding it hard to look him in the eyes when he got up slightly. "I know how much we were both looking forward to doing this - and you! You're holding yourself back so much and I know you want to do it, b - but then this happens...I just - ugh."

Steven racked his brain, trying to figure out what else he could do to help her relax. He decided that the best course of action would be to just ask her what she liked. Gently, he slid himself out, which elicited a breathy sigh of relief from her. "What do you like the most?" he asked.

"H - Huh?" she stammered, wondering what he meant.

He took her hand, gently placing a kiss on the knuckles and letting her fingertips run across his soft lips. "Do you like it when I play with your hands?" he whispered, never breaking eye contact as he spoke to her.

Cynthia felt her heart skip a beat at the romantic action.

"Or…" he continued, guiding her hand down from his mouth to his jawline and then down to his neck. "...Did you want to mark me up again?"

She drew in a sharp breath when he let her fingers ghost over the passionate bite marks she left on his otherwise flawless skin. These gestures, coupled with how he was speaking to her right now was sending delightful shivers down her spine. She always found his voice attractive, but when it was just a dull whisper like this, it was just downright sensual and caused her inner walls to ache.

Steven noticed how awe-struck she looked, staring at him with a dazed half-lidded look that made her appear more relaxed than earlier, but he did not stop. He knew that she was thoroughly enjoying this. Aside from the passionate kisses, he knew she fell head-over-heels for him whenever he treated her as if she was a princess. He alluded that it was probably because she was viewed as a strong, confident pokemon trainer and capable champion in the public eye. Cynthia just needed a contrast from that for her private life. She wanted to be pampered and treated gently.

And that was just what he was going to do for her right now.

"No?" he asked, in reference to his previous question. Steven smiled as he went down to kiss her neck, causing her to flinch just slightly. "Or did you want me to mark you?"

Cynthia let out a whine when he felt him sink his teeth into her skin. It was gentle enough so that he did not draw blood, but hard enough so that it drew pleasure. She could feel his prominent canines drag against her skin, followed by the velvety smoothness of his tongue, tenderly licking at the wound he gave her. She whimpered when he pulled away, immediately missing his touch.

"Did you like that?" he whispered, chuckling when he earned a shy nod from her.

She held her hands against her chest, feeling just how hard her heart was beating against it. Cynthia stared up at him, pleadingly. "Steven...c - can you kiss me?" Her voice was soft when she asked it and it would have been an outright crime if he were to refuse such an innocent request from his gorgeous girlfriend.

He leaned down, parting his lips slightly to French her.

Although passionate, it was brief again, far too short for Cynthia's liking.

"One more," she asked, whispering.

Steven complied and kissed her again, deeper and longer than earlier.

"..._One more_," she requested again when he pulled away. Cynthia wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the short hairs on the nape of his neck. She moaned into the kiss, tangling her hands in his hair and murmuring his name every time they parted slightly for air.

He knew that she loved kissing him and being kissed by him, so he decided that it would be what he could do to get her to relax. Steven pulled away just slightly and stared directly into her eyes. He did not have to say anything to her for her to understand what he was about to do next. She simply nodded before leaning up to kiss him in preparation.

"Mm!" she yelped, muffled by his mouth as he pushed himself inside her again.

"Focus on your mouth, focus on kissing me," he murmured as he slid further inside.

Cynthia moaned in response, shivering and shaking against him as she dug her blunt nails into the flesh of his back.

Steven paused, waiting for her to relax more before fully sheathing himself in her pulsating cavern.

She involuntarily ended up biting a portion of his lower lip, drawing some blood. Cynthia finally separated her lips from his and cried, "I'm sorry, Steven. I -!"

" - Don't apologize," he interjected, licking his wound tenderly before kissing her softly. "Does it hurt? I'm all the way in."

"I - I don't know," she stuttered, feeling a mixture of happiness that they were finally connected in the deepest way possible, but also confused as to whether or not she was in pain or just discomfort.

Steven kissed away her loose tears and brushed her blond bangs from her face. "I can wait," he whispered, smiling at her in reassurance. "Just tell me when you want me to move."

Cynthia's chest heaved as she breathed heavily through her mouth. Despite this, he continued to kiss her, knowing that the goal right now was to relax her enough so that he could move.

How he wished he could move. It took almost every ounce of his self-control to keep himself steady, unmoving, as she got used to his size and the sensation of something foreign wedged in between her legs. Steven was also using her kisses as a distraction from releasing his primal desires to pound into her wildly. Perhaps for another time in the future, he thought, but for now, the situation requires patience and care.

He noticed how her arms were slackening and the hold she had around him was not as tight as before.

"St - Steven…" she spoke softly. "I think...it's okay. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Without another second's delay, he pulled out slightly and thrusted back in.

She cried out again, causing him to grow alarmed.

"Cynthia -!"

"- No!" she asserted strongly. "Keep going. I can take it." Cynthia panted heavily as she propped herself up with her elbows to meet him properly. She locked gazes with him and he noticed that the look in her eyes was different than before. It was stronger with a sense of resolve behind them.

He sighed through his nose, clenching his jaw as he acknowledged her request.

The pace was slow at first and he saw her gritting her teeth, trying to meet his thrusts. When her cries slowly began sounding like moans of pleasure, he went faster, matching the tempo that he wanted.

"Ah! Steven! Steven!" Each utterance of his name was punctuated by a thrust. Cynthia felt the pain melt away and replaced by delirious enjoyment. She moaned, her voice going up a pitch or two as she did so.

He bit down on his lower lip slightly, careful not to agitated the area where she had bitten him earlier. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he tried not to go too rough with her, but that was easier said than done.

His cock ached as he heard the melodic sound of her feminine voice moaning out his name with each thrust. He licked his lips at the visual feast before him, finding her soft breasts mesmerizing as they moved in accordance to each rough movement. Then, her face - which was the best part of her.

Her normally composed, elegant face was a red and pink mess from the glowing blush present on her face. Those piercing gray eyes that could kill a man with just a glare were half-lidded and hazed over with lust. Then those plump pink lips of hers that he had kissed over a dozen times this evening were parted slightly, eliciting the most beautiful and sensual of moans coupled with his name.

His name and only his name.

Steven felt a sense of pride fill him knowing that what he was seeing now was something most men probably have fantasized about, but could never experience first-hand. He knew that she only had eyes for him and this thought alone caused him to thrust even more passionately into her.

Cynthia turned her head off to the side and screamed, arching her back as he grew more desperate with his thrusts. "Steven...I - I'm close," she whined cutely.

He kissed her suddenly, finding her absolutely irresistible as she squirmed underneath him. "Me too," he growled. Steven saw her hand trail down the smooth plain of her taut stomach and shyly play with her clit. "Let me," he grunted, gently chiding her hand away so that it could be replaced by his.

Her mouth tore open with a loud series of cries out of pure ecstasy. "_Oh_ -! Right there!" she gasped, closing her eyes as she turned her head to the side to bite down on the soft cotton of the pillows, trying to muffle herself.

"I want to hear you," he breathed out, grunting as he was reaching his edge. "Don't silence yourself."

Cynthia panted, releasing the pillow from her mouth and submitting to his request. She faced him, watching him rub circles into her engorged clit as he thrusted deeply inside of her. His face and body was slick with sweat, glistening in the soft moonlight. The tips of his silvery-teal hair clung to his face, which he then slicked back with a smooth motion of his hand. That simple action alone caused her heart to throb. As if he could not become any more handsome, he quickly proved her wrong.

She squeaked as he suddenly picked her up so that she was now sitting in his lap. The new angle caused her to slide down onto his cock even deeper and she arched her back with a beautiful moan.

"Together," he breathed out, feverishly kissing her on the lips. "Let's come together."

Cynthia looked down at him, awe-struck at how attractive he appeared right now. She cupped his face, nodding as she dropped her hands down so that she could hold him against her.

Her body bounced up and down as he thrusted up into her. The lewd sounds of their skin slapping against each other followed by the wet, squelching sounds of his cock pushing into her eager entrance was only topped in her mind by the sound of him in manic lust.

He groaned, grunted, and muttered her name in between his frantic thrusts. Cynthia bit her lip as she saw his face buried in her chest, eagerly lapping and biting at her breasts. "Steven," she whispered, drawing his attention up towards her.

His half-lidded, unfocused gaze was her favorite. He was Hoenn's most dateable, desirable man (according to rumors, at least) and Cynthia knew that any woman would have given anything to be in her position right now. He was rich, handsome, kind, and a league champion. So how lucky was she to be sitting in his lap, with his hard cock buried deep inside her, and with a lustful gaze meant only for her?

Very lucky, she thought as she lovingly ran her fingers through his damp hair. "_All mine_," she muttered, capturing his lips with a searing kiss.

He leaned up to accept her kiss and when they pulled away, he murmured back, "_all yours_."

With the two of them nearing their climax, they kept their lips locked onto each other's, only parting for oxygen, but even then their tongues danced with each other.

"I'm," Steven grunted, breaking the kiss. "Going to come!"

Cynthia nodded. "M- Me too - ! S - Steven...I'm - _Ah_!" she exclaimed, lunging forward so that she buried her face in his neck as she was sent over the edge. She could have sworn she saw stars as her orgasm spasmed throughout her body.

The silver haired man, encouraged by her climax, only now sought to find his own release. He thrusted into her roughly, grunting her name huskily into her ear. Her inner walls were clenching down on him deliciously and after a few more thrusts, he came.

The two of them remained in the position for a few minutes, with Steven occasionally thrusting into her shallowly as he rode out his release. When he finally stopped, Cynthia caught her breath and looked down at him, smiling sweetly.

"That was fun," she giggled, nervously tucking a lock of blond hair behind her ear.

"That should be my line," he responded, chuckling as he felt her brush away his hair from his face. "Are you okay?"

Cynthia nodded. "How I'll feel tomorrow is uncertain, but we'll see." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "But...it felt good...really good," she reassured him. "...Thank you."

He quirked an eyebrow up at her.

"For all this, for tonight in general," she explained. "Even though it hurt in the beginning, I'm really happy we finally got to do this. We're...really connected, aren't we?" she said, hugging him tightly.

"In more than one sense, yes," he replied, smiling as the statement earned him a little playful slap on the shoulder.

"Perverted thoughts aside," Cynthia began, "I'm glad I came over tonight to see you. Maybe it's because you're my first real relationship, but I can't bear the thought of losing you, Steven. I don't want to be in a situation again where we end up drifting apart and being uncertain with each other's feelings."

Steven stared up at her and after a brief pause, he leaned up to kiss her. "...I love you."

She looked back at him, eyes wide at the sudden confession. As if it was the first time hearing this from him, she blushed heavily and stammered. "W- What's with that all of a sudden?"

"Hm? I just don't think I say it enough to you." Steven laughed sheepishly.

He moved so that they could both clean themselves up and get ready for bed. They both reacted slightly when he finally slid out of her. Cynthia ended up sitting on the bed, watching him as he disposed of the used condom. Lost in her thoughts of what he had just said to her, she sat there before then realizing that she stained his bed sheets with her fluids. Steven assured her it was fine.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, standing off to the side of the bed awkwardly as if she was afraid to get on it. "I was just…"

She trailed off, earning Steven's curiosity.

He stood before her. "You look like you have something to say."

Cynthia dropped her gaze and then looked back at him to lock eyes with him. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. With a little scoff, she dropped the subject with a wistful smile. "It's okay. It's nothing."

Steven appeared unconvinced, but he let her be. Being astute as he was, he knew exactly what she wanted to ask of him. However, he remained silent, not bringing it up even as they showered together.

Even as he gave her an extensive room tour, talking about the rock displays he had up (on her request).

Not even when they were back in bed, engaging in pillow talk and cuddling each other.

It was not until early the next morning that he addressed the subject.

"You wanted me to say _'I love you'_ again, right?" he asked Cynthia's sleeping form. Steven sat on the edge of the bed, already dressed in his usual suit, minus the coat. He had always been an early-riser and even though he would have liked to stay in bed with her for a while longer, he did have to attend a board meeting at Devon in a few hours.

He brushed back her soft blond hair away from her face, smiling when she stirred softly with a disgruntled murmur passing her lips.

"I don't want it to lose its meaning if I say it too often, but I suppose...I could stand to say it more especially to the woman I would like to marry." Steven took hold of her left hand and pulled out a ring from his breast pocket. He gently slid the piece of jewelry onto her ring finger. The black diamond on the ring glimmered beautifully and he ran his thumb across the precious gem as he watched her sleeping face.

It was classified as an impure mineral. A diamond with not enough of the carbon filtered out. Wallace was against the idea of Steven giving her a black diamond, questioning why he did not go with a traditional diamond. However, he had his reasons.

"It's not perfect," he said softly, holding her hand as if she were awake and listening to him. "It's far from perfect, but you would find some way to make it beautiful. To make it feel loved. No matter what."

Steven squeezed her hand gently, hoping to not wake her.

"...I love you, Cynthia. With my entire heart - _I love you_."

He kissed her hand softly and placed it back on the bed, allowing her to continue her restful sleep. Steven smiled at her one last time before getting up to leave the room. He shut the bedroom door behind him gently and stared at the small plate of breakfast he cooked for her on the kitchen counter. He was sure that the small portion would not satisfy her big appetite, but he figured that by the time he was back from the board meeting, they could go out for lunch together.

A perplexed expression overtook his placid one as he thoughtfully looked off to the side, and then back to his bedroom. He furrowed his brow at the now closed bedroom door for a moment before he shook his head.

"No...she's definitely asleep," he muttered as he shook his head at the ridiculous notion that crossed his mind.

As soon as the front door clicked shut, the house was silent. Only the sound of the wingulls chirping and cawing outside were present until there a soft, audible sniffle from inside Steven's bedroom.

Another sniffle.

Followed by another.

"Idiot," the mass of sheets on his bed whispered. From underneath the mass, a bit of blond hair peeked out and eventually, the young woman who was supposedly asleep in his bed was actually awake.

Had been awake - to hear everything that he had said earlier.

Cynthia let the tears flow freely from her eyes as she frustratedly buried her face into his pillows. "You're such an idiot, Steven. Weirdo," she commented through the overjoyed tears that would not stop. "Why can't you propose to your girlfriend normally like every other guy?"

She cried, hiccuping, as she buried her face into the pillow again in an attempt to wipe her tears away. Everything smelled like him and even though he was not there with her, she felt content for once.

The young woman brought her hand up so that she could get a look at the ring that now adorned her left ring finger. She smiled, sniffling once more as she noticed how it matched the bracelet he had given her a long time ago.

It truly was a beautiful ring, with it being in her favorite color nonetheless.

She held it close to her chest and giggled. "No, it's not perfect, but that just means there's more to love about it."

* * *

**A/N** Smut came out a lot longer than I thought it would, but hope you all enjoyed it! There really needs to be more DarkSteel smut (especially since both of them are adults unlike some of the other Pokemon pairings -coughs-)

So like I said earlier, I do have another DarkSteel fic in the works! This one will be multi-chaptered (longer than this one) with an actual story that's not so focused on romance. Don't get me wrong, it is still centered around Cynthia and Steven's relationship, but there is a side plot for this story. I'm really inspired to write fanfics when I listen to songs. Heck, even this fic was written after I listened to "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" by Maroon 5. (Could you spot it from this fic's title?)

So my next DarkSteel fic was inspired after I listened to the OST from the anime, Violet Evergarden. Just a little hint as to how the next story will be. (If you guessed angst and drama, then you're right.) Hope it'll tug at your heartstrings more than this fic did :)

I expect to have the first chapter up very soon!

Finally, thank you so, so much to those that have reviewed so far! Here are some responses to the recent reviews!

**Guest** \- Thank you so much for defending me! I personally just ignore reviews begging me to update faster because those people tend to just ignore me in turn when I actually do update haha.

**IronSandSasori** \- Thanks so much! I thought there would be more fics about these two, but apparently not.

**anonymous101** \- I hope the smut was detailed enough to sanctification xD Thank you !

**squirtleism** \- Thank you so much for all the reviews on this story! Your support was so flattering :)

**1oreo1** \- Thank you for all the support you've given this fic! I hope to see you in the next one!

Even though the story's done, please let me know what you think! I will still be reading reviews left on this fic and those that do leave a review will receive a shoutout on the newest DarkSteel story of mine! Just a little thank you for all the support!

-ZERO


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